The Rider and the Ruin

[Verse 1 ] I didn't fall from grace in one clean drop Just took a crooked road that wouldn't stop A little left of the righteous track 'Til the sun went down and the sky went black There's frost on the saddle, blood on the rein And I quit calling out somebody's name [Chorus 1 ] He didn't read me the riot act Just followed the boot-prints on my track [Chorus 1 ] He knelt in the dirt where I couldn't stand And He lifted the ruin into His hand The Rider still comes when the night turns co-o-old [Verse 2 ] I figured I'd tough it out alone Build a hard camp on a bed of stone But pride cuts deep when the wind bites through And the wolves get bold at the things you do I folded my hands in the freezing mud Just waiting for the frost to stop my blood [Chorus 2] He didn't ask why I strayed so far Just tracked my shadow by the morning star [Chorus 2] He picked up the pieces I couldn't save And pulled a fool drifter out of the grave The Rider still comes when the night turns co-o-old [Bridge] There ain't no ladder a sinner can climb When you're out of water and out of time [Bridge continues] You don't earn the rescue, you just take the ride When He throws your weight on the saddle's side [Outro] No debt to pay... Just the Rider who carries the hurt away. (oooh) Carried all the way ho-o-ome.